MYAING, Nov 12 — Myanmar’s small-scale oil prospectors are under fire from all sides as rebels and the military battle to capture a cottage industry increasingly lucrative amidst the Middle East energy shock.
“As long as we work here, bad luck can kill us,” said Htun Aung, a worker on an artisanal oil well in Myanmar’s arid heartlands.
“But if the reality of death is hard to face, then making a living is even harder,” said the 52-year-old, speaking under a pseudonym for security reasons.
Myanmar imports 90 per cent of its fuel oil, official figures show, making it particularly vulnerable to supply issues caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
